Final answer:
CCDs are superior to photographic film due to their significantly higher efficiency in capturing light, ability to detect fainter objects, improved measurement accuracy, and immediate digital output for analysis.
Step-by-step explanation:
Charge Coupled Devices (CCDs) are superior to photographic film for several key reasons. CCDs boast a significantly higher efficiency rate, typically capturing 60-70% of incoming photons, and the most advanced can even exceed 90% sensitivity. This contrasts sharply with photographic film, which captures only about 1% of the incident light for image creation. As a result, CCDs can detect much fainter objects, including distant astronomical entities like small moons, icy dwarf planets, and dwarf galaxies.
Moreover, CCDs offer more precise measurements of an object's brightness and the digital nature of their output streamlines the process of data analysis, since the information is stored as numbers that can be directly fed into computers. The electronic imaging capability of CCDs is instrumental in a wide array of devices from cell phones to advanced astronomical telescopes, such as those used by NASA.
To add, with CCD technology, images can be binned to reduce resolution when necessary, a feature unavailable in traditional film. The technological sophistication and versatility of CCDs make them an indispensable tool in electronic imaging, outshining the capabilities of photographic film.